Dawn of Revolution
by Souzou-chan
Summary: Spoilers for end of series ahead! Anthy, now starting grade 9, finds she must walk the path of the Duelist in order to escape to the outside world and find Utena, and sees her life replay when she becomes engaged to the new Rose Bride, Varari Nobara. R+R!
1. Nouvelles Fleurs de l’Academie Ohtori R...

Dawn of Revolution

  


Disclaimer: I do not own anything copyrighted by Chito Saito and Be-Papas, characters, Ohtori Academy, but I do own the new people that appear. I have seen up to episode 16, then various episodes plus the end of the series. Hopefully it's enough to write a good RGU story. 

Notes: Italics mean flashbacks for this story. Stars represent scene changes too, basic stuff when it comes to my works. There are spoilers in this story, seeing as it takes place after the television series. So I'll warn you now so no one complains.

Summary: This story basically takes place very soon after the fall of the first council, Utena's disappearance, and Anthy Himemiya's self created freedom from the role as the Rose Bride. However, she finds that Ohtori Academy won't let her leave just yet. Now Anthy finds the only way to escape to the real world is to make her way through the world she thought she had left behind forever. Now let us return to a world where the chick is still trapped within the egg, where those who desire it, will try and smash it . . .

  


Chapter One

_

Nouvelles Fleurs de l'Academie Ohtori - Revival of the Student Council

_

  


Anthy Himemiya gazed out onto the vast horizon from the roof of Ohtori Academy, watching ever so familiar crimson painted the eternal sky. Chu-Chu rested on her left shoulder and watched the scenery also, but soon became distracted by the students who left the campus to return to their temporary homes until the dormitory arrangements were assigned.. The school year was near its end within the Academy, and while many things had changed, it was apparent that many things remained the same. This was true not only with the Academy, but with Anthy herself. 

She seemed more mature than she had been during the Revolution Duels, her eyes filled with a long lost sparkle that a Rose Bride could not possess. Her hair was no longer kept up, but was allowed to fall freely. Even then, she had decided to cut her hair to a length halfway between her waist and her shoulders. But the greatest difference was her uniform, for it was not the same sailor blouse and green skirt which most remembered her wearing. The outfit was similar to those worn by student council members, only it was the white pants, black shoes, and a jacket that was as red as her old Rose Bride dress. She had chosen to wear it in honor of Utena for the beginning of the 9th grade after the spring break, though she wasn't sure if she was dead or merely roaming the outside world. However, she felt it was a thoughtful tribute to her best and closest friend. 

"The power to revolutionize the world . . ." she quietly whispered, her gaze still locked upon the sunset. "It would reveal the miracle Juri had so desired . . .present Miki the shining thing he had longed for to make his piano playing more complete . . .give Saionji-sempai the object of eternity he told me he sought . . .and it reunited Utena with her prince . . .though in the end it seemed she was not pleased with what she discovered." 

"And then there was my brother . . ." Anthy clutched the fence tightly and she fell forward while managing to stay on her feet. Her forehead landed against the metal and her eyes closed tightly. "He didn't care about any of those that were involved . . .he didn't care if Touga, Juri, Miki, Ruka, Nanami, Juri . . .the Black Rose Society . . .he didn't care if any of them were hurt or even killed during the duels. He claimed he liked Utena, but in the end he didn't care if she was hurt either! He claimed she was still a child, but in reality she was the most adult of us all! She was the only one who could see through the mask of the Rose Bride to saw that I was a real person!!"

Her fingers curled into her palm as the fence was released, creating a fist to be formed. Anthy released a saddened scream as the fist slammed into the fence, scaring Chu-Chu enough to cause him to fall off her shoulder and onto the ground. A single teardrop escaped her tightened eyelids and rolled down her right cheek before falling to land on the poor little monkey's head. The tear felt odd on his head, and he made it clear to his master. 

"Chuuuuuuuu . . ." 

The little cry snapped Anthy out of her small rage, and she looked down to see the small animal whimpering and holding his wet head. She frowned and she kneeled down, picking up Chu-Chu. As she stood back up, she gently petted him to make the little money feel better. 

"Cheer up Chu-Chu, I'm sorry that outburst made you fall." she said. "I've been under so much stress and put through so much confusion . . .ever since I threw away the life of a Rose Bride . . .the last time I ever saw my brother alive. . ."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

_ "It hasn't been that long, but already everyone has completely forgotten about Utena Tenjou . . ." _

Akio Ohtori sat at his desk, typing something that could not be seen by Anthy's eyes, no Chu-Chu's as the small animal sat on the wood's surface. He was completely drawn into his current work, that he ignored Anthy who continued to stand in front of him with her hands clasped together. 

"She didn't cause the Revolution after all . . ." he continued to say, still typing away. "She was just a passerby in this world. But with Utena gone, I'll need to start reconstructing the codes of the Rose Signet from scratch, with new duelists. I'm counting on you to help me complete the job, Anthy." 

Her eyes widened at her older brother's intentions. Despite all that had happened to everyone, despite how close she herself came to dying from drawing all of the sword's to her body so he could gain the power, despite all he put the Student Council and the Black Rose Society through, and despite what Utena had to go through . . .all the emotional pain of finding her prince and still feeling incomplete inside, and thus leading to disappearance . . .Akio still wanted to gain the powers so he could cause the Revolution himself. 

"You don't know what happened, do you brother?" 

She continued to watch Akio type, realizing he cared for nothing anymore. He had always talked about smashing the world's shell, to free the chick so it could be truly born. It suddenly hit her, something important that put the entire scenario into prospective for her. No matter what happened in the end, even if Akio, Utena, and those involved in the Revolution had been able to bring it about, Akio would still be a dead chick. He had already died, for the shell had imprisoned his mind too long. 

"Chuuuuu . . ." 

Looking down at Chu-Chu, she realized it was time to leave it all behind. She knew that Utena was still alive, but even though both she and Akio were princes, Utena had managed to escape Ohtori Academy, escape to the real world. The former Rose Bride gave a smile, one that was, for the first time in a while, full of life and promise. She removed her glasses, placing them on the desk as Chu-Chu placed his earring and necktie beside them. Akio finally took notice, noticing that his little sister and allowed her hair to fall free behind her. 

"What are you doing?" he asked, somewhat confused by her actions. 

"It will be all right, brother." Anthy replied, not letting her smile fade away. "Please go on playing the make-believe 'Prince' in this coffin forever. But brother, I must go now." 

"Go?" Akio didn't understand what Anthy was trying to imply. He watched as she and Chu-Chu walked toward the door which would lead them out of the observatory, and forever away from the talk of the Revolution. "Go where?" 

Stopping in front of the door, Anthy turned around halfway as she raised a hand to rest on the frame. Even from the gap of distance that separated the two, he could see that her eyes were full of life, a life that he did not see when she was the Rose Bride. Her smile remained, and she allowed Chu-Chu to jump up onto her left shoulder. 

"That person hasn't vanished, she's merely left this world of yours." 

"What are you talking about?" Akio gasped, he finally was able to grasp at least half of what Anthy was trying to declare. Though subtle, and though he didn't understand what she meant by the person leaving his world, he knew one thing was clear; Anthy was leaving him for good. 

"W-wait a minute!" he cried out, rising from his chair and slamming his palms down onto the desk. "Anthy! ANTHY!" "Farewell, my brother." she replied, stepping through the opened doors which soon closed behind her, taking Anthy away from Akio, forever. And that's how she wanted it. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Anthy found herself walking through the hallways of Ohtori Academy, getting ready to head back to her temporary place of rest. She seemed to walk like Utena, with more of a relaxed stride and carrying her case behind her. She felt she was slowly turning into Utena it seemed, with her new uniform and the start of what she felt would be many lectures from her teacher's about it during the next year. People had constantly asked her if she had been chosen to be on the next Student Council, but she had denied it each time and declared her dislike for such a position. Most didn't understand why, especially since nothing was known about the duels, high atop the mirage platform. 

She told a few people after it was all over, but only Wakaba would believe her. It seemed Wakaba was devastated by the loss of her best friend, and she could tell Anthy was saddened too. Utena had made quite an impression it seemed, and then suddenly she was ripped away, removed from their world and thrown into another, one where they had no clue where she was. 

She had also told the old Student Council members what had happened within the castle. Miki was in a shocked awe, Juri couldn't believe that Utena had been put through all of what occurred and she had declared a disbelief in Utena's prince actually existing. Saionji acted human for the first time, and made public his sadness for Utena's disappearance. He truly saw her as a worthy opponent for the Rose Bride. Nanami started to cry, which was very a surprising portrayal of emotions for her. But Touga was the most devastated. He couldn't speak a word, he couldn't even move. It was as if, with Utena completely gone, he had died out like a field of roses in the wintertime. 

Anthy truly realized then, that the pink haired prince had caused a Revolution, but not the kind Akio had wanted. Utena had changed their lives, made them see things in a new light, with reborn eyes looking out onto a fresh world. Finally, she had released them all. With her own style of Revolution, it seemed they were all free of the duels. They could all live again it seemed . . .yet they still couldn't find the way to escape the egg. 

"Anthy!" 

Suddenly spinning around, Anthy saw Wakaba Shinohara running toward the purple haired student. However, instead of leaping forward and onto her back, the brunette stopped beside her to catch her breath. 

"Hi Wakaba. How are you today?" Anthy calmly asked. 

"I'm great, though there's too much spring break homework!" Wakaba glared at her case as she held it up, showing Anthy and Chu-Chu that it was packed tightly with a few papers sticking out on both sides. "I'm beginning to wonder if I'm a student or an office executive." 

Chu-Chu suddenly began to laugh in his own little way, while Anthy showed a smile. She nodded in agreement as the two continued down the hallway. They walked in silence for a few moments until the exited the building to stand in the courtyard of the academy. 

"So I gotta head back to my cousin's place and help make supper. Do you and Chu-Chu want to come over? We can work on the homework and watch some movies." 

"No thanks." Shaking her head, Anthy still managed to smile to show that it was nothing against Wakaba. "I'm going to get to bed early tonight. I've got an early start tomorrow, plus I have some forms to fill out." 

Wakaba smiled, nodding in response. "Okay then, see you after the break!" 

Anthy waved good-bye as Wakaba took her leave, running across the gravel walkways and out of sight down the stairs into the Academy's little town. She watched until she was completely out of sight, then let a sigh escape her as she looked up once again at the sky. Her eyes closed and she frowned, allowing her head to drop and her face to now face the ground. 

"Let's get going, Chu-Chu." she said quietly. It was going to be a long spring break . . .

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The sounds of gears turning echoed throughout the darkness, and a pair of gates squeaked open to reveal an ever so familiar elevator shaft. A shadowed figure walked toward it, a large, thick, white envelope in hand bearing a blue wax seal. The metal gates of the elevator separated quickly and rose high above the figure's head. They stepped onto the elevator shaft, then ran a slender finger through the seal to open the envelope. It was turned upside down, and a small tape player fell into the open hand. The thumb moved toward the play button and pressed it down, allowing the pre-recorded message to play. 

"If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born." the voice declared, so mysteriously familiar to the figure yet altered greatly somehow. 

Suddenly there was a quick tremor, signaling the descent of the elevator. The figure let out a gasp as they stumbled back, the back hitting the never ending wall. The envelope and taper player both dropped to the floor, but miraculously the mechanical device was not harmed in anyway. The message continued, and the shadows figure continued listening with great curiosity. 

"You are a chick; the egg is the world. If the world's shell does not break, you will all die without being born. Break the world's shell, for the revolution of the world!" 

Suddenly the elevator stopped rather violently, and the figure stumbled forward toward the exit. The gates quickly pulled apart and upward once more, causing the mystery person to stumble out to stop in front of a small flight of stairs which lead to a short walkway. Letting out a gasp of awe, the figure seemingly became memorized. 

The scenery was indeed beautiful, but at the same time very haunting to those who may possess a sense of paranoia. The walkway was surrounded by sapphire blue waters that radiated a white shine, reflecting off the walls in a hypnotic pattern. The water formed a large underground lake, surrounding a large platform in the center. The floors were pearl white, with the design of a blue rose gracing the surface. Seven pillars representing the colors of the rainbow stood around the edges of the platform. 

The figure stepped off the walkway and the light reflected onto the form to reveal a female with shoulder length red hair and violet eyes. Her clothing it seemed was a pair of black pants with a white jacket, the ends of the sleeves outlined in a gold like color, with black boots on her feet. She looked around the platform as she stood between the yellow and green pillars and looked around, noticing she wasn't alone.

Between the yellow and leaning against the orange pillar was a slightly older boy with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, wearing black pants too but instead of the yellow jacket, his was a dark blue and wasn't cut in V patterns like the girl's was, only it was a straight line all around. His arms were crossed as he eyed the new comer. 

Next, was another girl leaning against the violet pillar for there it was empty between the orange and red, only she was sitting down on the floor. Her hair was long and a light shade of green, kind of like a creamy color while her eyes were a dark brown. Her uniform matched the new girl, only her jacket was a dark green and along with the pants she wore a dark green skirt which stopped halfway between her waist and knees. 

Another boy, standing between the violet and indigo pillars, had shoulder length orange hair of a darkened shade with light blue eyes. Not only were his pants black ,but so was his dueling jacket along with belong longer then the others. The only way to tell the two articles of clothing apart were the orange linings on the jacket. 

The next boy, seemed to be as old as the girl and wore the same uniform as the first boy. The only difference was his was a deep blood red crimson color and he had boots stopping up to his knees for the pants were tucked into them. His hair was blond while his eyes were green. He stood between the indigo and blue pillars, arms crossed. 

The final stranger was another boy standing between the blue and green pillars. He seemed to stand out the most with his waist length white hair tied into a ponytail and crimson eyes. His dueling jacket was a deep violet, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. 

"Welcome all of you." the voice echoed. "To the new Duelist's Arena . . ." 

The six duelists looked toward the center of the ring where a small spotlight appeared and shone downward. It revealed a slender female wearing a pure white dress, with a golden crown in her long wavy black hair, which went down to her knees and light violet eyes. Her expression was blank as she stood in the center with her arm out in front, both hands clasped together. Surrounding the bottom of her dress were six roses, bearing the colors of yellow, blue, green, orange, red, and white. She held a purple one in her hands, inhaling the scent quietly. 

"You six . . . Shiori Takatsuki . . .Tatsuya Kazami . . .Midori Ezura . . .Yamato Airou . . .Izumo Zakari . . .and Riki Hirokazu." 

"Yeah, what about us bitch?" Midori suddenly shouted. 

"Or bastard . . ." Riki added. 

"Whatever . . ." The green haired female glared, cracking her knuckles as loud as she could. "Stay out of other people's buisness!" 

"You idiots, can't you see the voice is coming from a tape player?" Yamato smirked with confidence, raising his hand to point toward the unknown female. 

Sure enough, the arena became silent once more as the six young adults looked toward the female once again, who it seemed was wearing another tape recorder around her neck, attacked to a brown cord. She continued to maintain an expressionless face as her gaze seemed directed in no particular place. 

"All of you have been chosen to not only form this year's student council . . ." the voice continued. "But you will be participating in the Rose Duels. Standing before you all is the Rose Bride, named Varari Nobara. Within her body rests an ancient power called Taune, which will in turn grant one of you six with the power to bring Revolution, to crack the shell of this world, to allow everything to change for the better." 

"And what does that have to do with us?" Izumo demanded. He was curious, wondering why there was a red rose pointing at him. 

"I suppose you're asking why you're all involved, what makes you special from the rest of the students of Ohtori Academy."

The voice paused for a moment, when suddenly the reflections of light upon the walls changed. Everyone gasped except for Varari, as they suddenly saw a beautiful white castle's reflection on both the walls and upon the water's surface. Everyone was in awe once again, and gazed at the new scenery as the voice recording continued. 

"Within those castle walls lies the ability to revolutionize. When the time is right, whichever of you duelists is the champion, will be granted the ability to enter the castle where you will bring forth your revolution. As proof of the championship, the one who is shall be the one who is engaged to the Rose Bride before you. Only the engaged may enter the castle." 

"So how do you get engaged to this . . .Rose Bride?" Tatsuya requested. 

"Normally to become engaged to the Rose Bride, you would have to defeat the champion when you receive a letter indicating who will duel and on what date. For the purpose of starting out however, I have decided that Shiori, next year's Student Council President, will be the first to be engaged. Throughout the spring break I will send letters to all of you when it is time for you to duel, and also for any changes in the course of the duel's. Now then . . .walk toward the center of the arena where the Rose Bride awaits, and take up your selected roses you will wear in your duels. Hold them high and cry out the verse played for you as you descended!" 

The dueling arena suddenly became illuminated, with columns of water shooting upward as if it somehow morphed into a giant fountain. The six duelists all began walking toward the center of the arena slowly, each speaking in sync as the single chanting of the verse began. 

"If the egg's shell does not break, the chick will die without being born. We are a chick; the egg is this world. If the world's shell does not break, we will all die without being born. Break the world's shell." 

Stopping at the center of the duelist arena, the six found themselves completely surrounding Varari, as if they were encasing her within a small cage. They kneeled down, picking up their individual roses and rising to their feet. A moment of silence swept across them all before their arms shot up, to hold their roses above their heads with a new sense of pride and determination. Their voices echoed loudly in unison as Varari threw her head back and gazed to the ceiling, her eyes widened as a sphere of white light emerged from her chest. 

FOR THE REVOLUTION OF THE WORLD!" 

Then everything went dark . . .

  


_To Be Continued . . ._

Please review this, or else I'll have to send my super deformed Senkyoudens to annoy you to death with their cuteness. Heeeheeeheee!! 

  



	2. C'est pour la revolution du la monde Wh...

Dawn of Revolution

  


Disclaimer: I do not own anything copyrighted by Chito Saito and Be-Papas, characters, Ohtori Academy, but I do own Varari, Yamato, Midori, Riki, Izumo, H-ko and I-ko. BTW the Shadow Girl's interlude's are so funny, so I'm gonna give them a try. Don't laugh please.

  


Chapter Two

_

C'est pour la revolution du la monde - When the Greek Flower Blossoms 

_

  


"Wondering, wondering, do you know the things I'm always wondering?" 

Around the school, television screen seemed to suddenly turn themselves on within the empty hallways. Static was all that was displayed at first before a painted backdrop of a forest surrounding a castle appeared. A penny flute's mischievous music was suddenly heard when two string puppets were suddenly lowered into view. They seemed to resemble two black silhouettes of female students, one with waist length hair full of curls with H-ko written on the head area, and the other with two pigtails and I-ko written on its head. The strings further manipulated their actions as the voices began to speak again. 

"A friend I know saw two stranger's making out in the school and I was suddenly reminded of her ex-boyfriend, but she didn't seem to realize it!" H-ko declared. 

"You mean the ex that went and tore her heart apart by trying to control her every movement?" I-ko asked, dancing around as only a string puppet could. 

"Of course!" H-ko twirled around slowly, still talking as she did so. "And now that she's older and after I told her EXACTLY what it reminded me of, she told me she's going to try and save the girl by telling him what he may do to her!" 

"It sounds like she wants to try and act like some hot-shot prince and save a princess in distress!" 

"Oh but beware, brave lady! Sometimes sticking your nose into the business of others may throw you into scenario's you can't even begin to imagine!" 

"But didn't this entire thing happen once before?" I-ko stood in a pondering stance for a moment, but then started twirling around with her fellow string puppet. "Oh well, maybe the story can end differently this time!" 

"We wonder, we wonder . . ." H-ko and I-ko continued to speak and twirl about, despite being pulled upward and off the television screen. The scenery then faded out to black. "Oh the things we seem to wonder . . ." 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The morning bells rang from the tall tower, echoing throughout the entire academy. It was the first day of the new school year at Ohtori Academy and there were mixed reactions everywhere one looked. Students flocked from all over the town toward the old school buildings, some new to the area, others who were around longer, or even those who seemed to drastically change. 

"ANTHY HIMEMIYA!" 

Stopping at the gates to the academy courtyard, Anthy turned around to face the approaching guidance counselor who was walking as fast as she could. Despite the advanced knowledge that this would happen from spending time with Utena in the previous school year, Anthy found herself unable to quickly think of any way to defend her uniform choice. When the counselor stopped, she took a moment to catch her breath before shaking her index finger at the violet haired student. 

"Anthy Himemiya, I am very surprised at your sudden behavior." she declared as her face tightened with anger. She let out a frustrated growl as she pointed toward the white and red uniform. "What make you think you can suddenly show up at the beginning of a new school year wearing that . . .that . . .THING?!" 

"You mean my uniform?" 

It seemed as if steam was going to shoot out of her ears. "DO YOU SEE ANYONE ELSE SPORTING SUCH A MONSTROSITY?!" 

"Well what about the Student Council?" Anthy smiled, putting her weight on the left side as her hand clutched the school bag tightly. She hoped that by following Utena's example would help get escape the situation. "Their uniform is similar to mine. Besides I'm trying to honor my best friend by wearing this! She disappeared without a trace and now everyone's forgotten about her!" 

There was a pause of silence between the two for a few moments, each looking at the other as the guidance counselor analyzed the statement made by the violet haired student. Finally she let out a frustrated sigh as she shook her finger again at Anthy. "Very well Miss Himemiya, you may wear the uniform for now, but I still plan to bring this up with the Academy Board, we wouldn't be able to expel you considering the orders of your late brother. Now get to class." 

"Thank you ma'am." 

Anthy turned around and began to walk toward the main building of the academy, soon disappearing from the guidance counselor's line of sight. When she was completely gone, she let out a frustrated scream as she began jumping out and down on a random crack in the pavement. 

"Great, first that Tenjou girl dresses like a boy, and now she's influenced the quietest and most well behaved student at Ohtori Academy! What is the sudden obsession with a girl wearing a boy's uniform?!" 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fortunately for Anthy, the first period of the day was a workshop for the newcomers to Ohtori Academy. No matter what grade they were entering, if they had just registered for the first time, they were required to go. Anthy enjoyed her free time at the beginning of every year, she could enjoy some quiet time to herself. Today, she planned on spending it in the music room. It had been so long since she had played the piano, and she longed to hear the music filling the classroom once more. 

As she walked through the hall, many familiar sounds reached her ears, yet at the same time they were new for her. Many of the females of the student body were starting to comment about her new uniform, mainly how it was something completely neat. Anthy quickly remembered how she would walk to school with Utena when they were "engaged", and the entire female population would admire her. 

"I guess this is how Utena felt back then . . ." she thought, continuing to make her way down the hall. "They must really admire people who choose to stand out." 

Looking up ahead of her, Anthy suddenly noticed a girl with long, wavy black hair leaning against the wall as a taller male wearing a uniform consisting of black pants, boots, and jacket with orange lining. He had shoulder length orange hair, and light blue eyes. He was leaning against his arm placed against the wall and above the girl's head as the two had what seemed to be a quiet conversation. 

"I've never seen those two before . . ." she thought to herself. "I wonder who they are . . .are they new students? Or maybe they're in a different grade. That guy's wearing a Student Council uniform, so it can't be his first year at the academy . . ." 

"Himemiya! How have you been?!" 

With the voice catching her off guard, Anthy suddenly jumped a foot off the floor before she turned around face the ever so familiar orange haired female of Juri Arisugawa, now wearing her assigned sailor blouse instead of the old student council uniform she sported the year before. She had also gone and changed her looks, mainly cutting her hair to a much shorter length than people were accustomed to. She had also lost some of her confidence, and she was not as fearful as she had been made out to be the year before. 

"Juri-sempai!" Anthy smiled at the sight of her old friend and the two exchanged a quick friendly hug. "I've been well. How have you been though?" 

"Well," Juri frowned, resting her hands on the window sill so she could lean back against it. She stared at her shoes while continuing to speak. "Still on the road to recovering from last year's events. I mean, to get that far and find out we had all been used in Akio Ohtori's twisted scheme . . .how pathetic we were." 

"We had no way of knowing though . . .that's the thing." 

"But we should have figured it out . . .maybe we could have all escaped . . ." Juri looked up at Anthy, letting a depressed exhale escape her. "Maybe Utena would still be hanging around with us." 

"Yeah . . .by the way, Juri-sempai," 

"You don't have to use sempai anymore, Anthy. We're all equal now." 

"Right . . .but who are those two down the hall, over there?" Pointing to the orange haired male and the black haired female, Juri looked for a minute, studying their appearances carefully. She had an idea who they were as she searched her memories for the names. Finally thinking of them, she turned back to Anthy. 

"From what I remember, the guy in the black uniform is Yamato Airou, grade 10. He's a member of the Student Council chosen for this year. He's got a bad reputation with women, mainly because he doesn't treat them properly. Rumors even go so far as to say he's even abuse toward them, but there hasn't been any proof to make that true at all." 

"And the girl?" Anthy was curiously watching the girl, wondering what about her seemed ever so familiar in her mind. "Who's she?" 

"The girl with him is in the 9th grade like you. She's very quiet and doesn't talk to a lot of people, especially due to fact that she arrived two months before the end of the last school. However it seems she's skilled in archery. She's even won a few tournaments for the old school she used to attend before transferring here. Name wise, I think it's Varari Nobara." 

"Varari Nobara?" 

"Yeah, sound's right." 

Anthy continued to watch the girl, who seemed to be only half paying attention to the conversation she was involved in despite the attempt she made to make it seem like she was indeed hanging onto every word Yamato Airou was telling her. 

"What seems so familiar about that scene . . ." she thought to herself. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Yes, it seems Yamato's not taking the Rose Bride seriously." 

Sitting on the stairs which led to the forbidden grounds of the Dueling Forest, a girl with shoulder length red hair, violet eyes, and wearing a uniform of black pants, boots, and a yellow jacket held a cell phone to her ear as she laid back and watched the clouds slowly roll by. Her arm rested behind her head to support it, and one leg was crossed over the other as she allowed herself to completely relax while conversing. 

"What makes you say that, Shiori Takatsuki?" 

"It's his attitude in general." Shiori sighed in frustration, reaching over toward the grass to pull out a few random blades. "He doesn't give her the respect someone with the Taune power should receive. He constantly abuses her and it is beginning to show when she arrives at the arena to play her role. She's so pale that you can see the cuts and bruises on her skin." 

The voice on the phone sighed in a similar fashion, wondering just what would get through to their orange haired Duelist Champion. Shiori wondered just how she could have lost to such a person who seemed to lose his temper at the wink of an eye, then she wondered just what allowed him to meet the qualifications of a chosen duelist. 

"Unfortunately no one, not you or the other student council members can really do anything. The letters I sent all of you, have you received them?" 

"The one that speaks of the new duelist arriving soon?" The redhead chuckled to herself, remembering all the reactions of the news. "Yamato dismissed it. He feels no one is capable of defeating him. He claims it was an easy victory to snatch the Rose Bride from my possession. Though I don't welcome the idea of a complete stranger entering the duels, I kind of hope they shall wipe that smirk off of Yamato's face." 

"Do not worry." The voice chuckled, then calmed down just as quickly. "I have a feeling the new duelist will leave quite an impression, not only on Yamato, but all of you and including themself." 

There was a click, followed by the dial tone which faded from Shiori's sight as she pulled the phone away from her ear. She smirked, putting the phone away and picking up a small stone before tossing it into a nearby creek. 

"I wonder if the new duelist wants to bring forth the Revolution . . ." 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The end of the day arrived, and once again as they planned to do each and every day, the hundreds of students of Ohtori Academy emptied out of the buildings and made their ways back to their temporary homes. Anthy exited through the main gates and slowly descended down the stairs to the locker rooms to grab her music sheets and head back to her place. The doors swung open as she stepped into the room, observing the countless lockers which belonged to all the students of the Academy. She soon found hers and opened it to grab the sheets, but then something caught her attention and made her heart skip a beat. 

"It . . .it cannot be . . ." she was in complete shock. "It cannot be happening again!" 

Attached to the inner part of the locker door was a small envelope with a blue rose seal on the flap. Her hands trembled as she raised one to take the envelope from its suspension, but she found it to be so hard. Finally, she pulled it from the door and ran her finger under the flap, breaking the seal and opening the letter. As she pulled out the small note, a metal object reflected the light into her eyes as it fell into her palm. She gasped when she was it resembled the ring that Utena wore when she was a duelist, only instead of a red rose the color was blue. 

"A Rose Signet . . ." Anthy gasped, still staring at the ring. 

She gathered all of her courage to not drop it to the floor, and decided to hold onto it while she unfolded the note. Another gasp escaped her mouth when she read the words written upon the paper. 

_ Chosen duelist . . .do not try and dismiss what you are reading upon this paper. I know well your situation and I truly want to help you. You know well the world of the Duelists as you were a former Rose Bride, correct? However, it seems the world's shell is becoming harder to crack. You found this out not to long ago. Attempting to find your best friend and all you got was pulled back into this world because of your brother's death. But you still managed to cast aside your old life, and now you strive to become as much like Utena Tenjou, the girl who thought she could become a prince. Anthy Himemiya, you must know this truth and you must know it well. The ring you clutch in your hand is your key to unlocking the gates to the outside world. You must walk the path of a Duelist now, and only by smashing the world's shell can you escape to the outside world forever, to find Utena, and be born . . ._

The ring seemed to catch her attention once again, and Anthy allowed the letter to fall away from her grasp to land on the floor. She moved the ring to hold it in her index finger and thumb, wondering just what she should do with it. 

But then she realized the truth of the letter's words. Akio's death had indeed pulled her back in and now she was locked within the shell of Ohtori Academy. As much as she wanted to keep her vow true, to never get involved in the duels ever again, she suddenly realized it was a promise she couldn't keep. She knew she would have to bring forth a revolution, she knew it was true as she allowed her hand to slide the ring onto her finger. 

"I have to bring a Revolution . . ." she thought. 

Suddenly, Anthy turned on her heels as a shrill scream appeared in the atmosphere. She quickly closed her locker and raced toward the source of the cry, finding herself pushing the doors open to the courtyard. A gasp escaped her mouth and her eyes widened at the sight she saw before her. 

Varari Nobara was lying on her side, holding a hand to her bruised face as Yamato Airou towered over her with clenched fists. A cynical sneer was pasted across his face and it seemed to only get worse as he raised a foot and kicked her in the jaw. The black haired girl seemed not to retaliate or respond to the blow as she allowed her body to be flung onto her back. Yamato laughed, then began cracking his knuckles. 

"You pathetic bitch." He walked toward her again, only slowly to keep Varari guessing as to when he would hit her again. "No will, no opinion of your own. What are you, a human shell without a soul or something?!" 

Those words hit Anthy like a speeding vehicle, for she finally remembered what Varari and Yamato reminded her of so clearly; the relationship she had with Saionji Kyouji when she herself was still the Rose Bride. Though he hit her a few times, she realized it was the only way he could express his feelings of love. But at the present moment, when she looked upon the defenseless girl lying on the ground, Anthy knew that any hints of love could not exist. She realized the rumors Juri has passed along were true. Yamato was, indeed, abused women and greatly enjoyed it. Anthy knew she had to do something. 

"HEY!" Her fists clenched tightly at both her sides, and her eyes narrowed. Never had be been filled with so much disgust. "What do you think you're doing?!" 

Yamato, taking notice of the new voice, looked up from Varari's body and toward the angry face of Anthy Himemiya. He began to laugh when he saw the newcomer was a girl as well, running his fingers through his hair. Anthy suddenly gasped when she saw the hand, for he too was wearing the Blue Rose Signet that she had just put on moments before. Suddenly it all sank in; Yamato was a Duelist, and there was a chance that Varari was the new Rose Bride. Anthy's heart sank, and she asked herself why another must now suffer as she did last year. 

"Well look at who we have here, the spineless chick of Ohtori Academy." Yamato laughed some more and his hand quickly shot downward to grab the collar of Varari's uniform. "But what is this? It seems she may have a spine after all! What other explanation could her sudden outburst at me be?" 

"You're the spineless one!" Anthy clenched her fists tighter, advancing toward the male as he picked up the black haired girl and held her above the ground and off her feet. "How dare you treat your girlfriend that way!" 

The orange haired male threw his head back and laughed once again, quickly tightening his grasp on Varari's uniform before throwing her to the ground. She landed with a quiet thud, not made no move to flinch at the violent actions inflicted on her. Anthy gasped in horror and ran over to her to see if she was okay. 

"It's not wise to butt into other people's business, Himemiya." He brushed some of his hair away from his eyes in a quick, graceful gesture. "Especially since she is not my girlfriend." 

Those words seemed to pierce through Anthy like the barrage of sword's the year before as she helped Varari into a sitting position. It was exactly how Utena became involved in the duels, trying to protect someone from bring hurt. Only this time, Anthy didn't even know Varari, who remained silent as she stared downward at the pavement. 

"The poor girl . . ." 

Anthy squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She wasn't going to allow the violence to go any further. She knew as a Rose Bride, Varari wasn't going to retaliate or defend herself. No, unless she was told to defend herself, she wouldn't. There was only one way to put Yamato in his place and as much as she was afraid to do such an action,Anthy realized it was all she could do. 

"Yamato Airou . . ." She climbed to her feet when she knew Varari would be able to sit up on her own. Two sets of eyes narrowed, only Anthy made the first physical movement by raising her right hand in front of her face. "Recognize this?!" 

A gasp was suddenly heard, coming directly from the mouth of Yamato as widened eyes found their way to the Blue Rose Signet upon Anthy's ring finger, reflecting the beams of the setting sun off its clear surface. A breeze passed by, picking up and tossing everyone's hair about as the silent atmosphere consumed them. Finally, the orange haired duelist began to laugh once more, but it only made Anthy more aggravated. 

"You?!?!" Yamato pointed directly at her and clutched his chest. Clearly the news amused him. "Someone as spineless as you just so happens to be the new duelist the letters told us about?!" 

"I guess I'm not so spineless anymore. I declare my demand for a challenge. I want to fight you in a sword duel, Yamato Airou! And if I win then you're not to harm Varari Nobara any more! " It felt right to say it, yes. Anthy was confident it was the right thing to say. Utena would have done so to help someone in such a situation. "So tell me, do you accept my challenge?!" 

Another laugh was released from Yamato, but not quite as taunting as his previous expression of his humor toward the situation. He walked over to Anthy slowly, stopping only when he seemed to be right in her face. Anthy flinched, being so close to a person as disgusting as he was making himself out to be was. Before she could move back too much further however, Yamato grabbed Anthy by the neck and pushed her back as hard as he could, slamming her back into the nearby wall. She cried out and clenched her teeth, and his eyes seemingly went smaller and much more disturbing. His actions made Saionji's seem like light taps on her skin. 

"You've got yourself a challenge." Loosening his grip, Yamato allowed Anthy to be released. He watched slide down onto the ground, rubbing her now sore neck. "Tomorrow at sundown, in the Forest. We'll fight in the Duel Arena located there. Got it?" 

Anthy was no where near the point of intimidation. "Bring it on." 

A growl was all that was heard from Yamato in response. He turned and walked back toward Varari as she was just climbing back onto her feet. A cry of surprise came from her mouth when the orange haired duelist grabbed her sore arm. He pulled her along while he walked back to his residence, but suddenly decided to stop for a minute. He turned his head sideways enough so he could look at Anthy out of the corner of his eye. She continued to glare at him, getting to her feet and leaning back against the wall. 

"Oh by the way, Himemiya . . ." A smile appeared on his face, the kind that showed teeth. It definitely made Anthy shudder a little. "Don't forget to bring a sword, unless you like being sliced and diced." 

"Just be prepared to lose!" 

"Whatever . . ." Yamato tightened his grip on Varari's arm and she cried out quietly. Her eyes squeezed together tightly and a small stream of tears escaped down the side of her face. "Let's go." 

There was no remorse in his voice, nor was there any sign of regret toward the inflicted action. He continued to pull her along, walking away from the confrontation. Anthy simply watched Varari being led like a helpless animal on a short leash. She knew winning tomorrow's duel was going to make the difference between Varari Nobara's safety, or the continuation of the abuse she had no other way of escaping. 

"Don't worry Varari . . .you'll be okay. I swear by the Sword of Dios that I'll free you from Yamato's control." 

It was time. Anthy must walk the path of the Duelist. 

  


_To Be Continued . . ._

  


Aren't I so evil, leaving this at a cliffhanger? Mwa ha ha! Good thing I can write these chapters so quickly . . .now if only I could do the same for Project M.I.S.T. Oh well, see you next time, and remember to review! My super deformed Senkyoudens are serious about going after you if you don't, and keep in mind they possess elemental magic. ^-^ See ya next time! 

  



	3. Liberte est tres beau, n'est pas? A Due...

Dawn of Revolution

  


Disclaimer: I do not own anything copyrighted by Chito Saito and Be-Papas, characters, Ohtori Academy, but I do own Varari, Yamato, Midori, Riki, Izumo, H-ko, I-ko, and the new descent sequence into the underground Duel Arena. Hope you like it! BTW, for a duel theme . . .I guess a good song is Voice. It's the first opening of Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters. It seems to fit and I listened to it over and over while writing the duel, but of course I don't own this song either. Heh, enjoy! 

  


Chapter Two

_

Liberte est tres beau, n'est pas? - A Duel Down Memory Lane 

_

  


The hand of the timer swung back and forth in the traditional and hypnotic motion. The music room was slightly darker than normal, but the cause could be traced back to the dark storm clouds in the skies over Ohtori Academy. The keys of the grand piano released their manipulated melody into the air as two sets of fingers guided them to play the desired piece with few mistakes. 

Anthy Himemiya was the one playing the musical score that afternoon. With no classes to end the day and having time to spare before the fated confrontation, she had decided to go back to the old past time of hers. Chu-Chu of course, had decided to tag along too and soon found himself hypnotized by the timer. His head swayed back and forth with the arm as it ticked away.

Suddenly she stopped playing the piano, her fingers suspended in mid-air over the ivory keys. Anthy leaned forward, eyes closed tightly as her forehead landed upon the piano to emit an out of tune sound. Motion left her frozen except for the ability to open her eyes once again. She stared at the piano keys with a blank expression.

"To duel Yamato Airou . . .to save Varari Nobara . . .Utena did the same when she was against Saionji when I was the Rose Bride . . .and though it was to avenge Wakaba's feelings, it also became to free me from Saionji. Even when she wanted to make me normal again, it was a true wish . . .though I exploited that through my duties as a Rose Bride, only acting like I wanted to as well because I was to follow her wishes. I wonder though . . .would my actions now grant forgiveness from her?"

"Himemiya-san?" 

The familiar voice snapped Anthy out of her process of thoughts. She lifted her head from the keyboard and turned toward the right side of her to see Miki Kaoru's concerned expression. He too wore the standard Ohtori Academy male's uniform. Anthy blinked from embarrassment, remembering that he was helping her with the new song. She blushed faintly and looked back down at the piano keys. 

"I'm sorry Miki." She continued to frown, moving her hands back to rest on the ivory. "I'll start playing the song again."

"N–no, you don't need to do that." Miki raised his thumb to his mouth, gently biting down on the nail as he too stared down at the keys of the large mass of wood and string. "I won't force you to play when it's obvious your heart isn't completely into it today." 

"What do you mean?" She didn't quite understand exactly what Miki was trying to tell her. 

"I can tell something is bothering you, Himemiya-san." 

He removed his hand from his face and slowly extended it across the gap between them. Resting on her shoulder, Anthy's eyes slightly widened at the action, but then her features returned to normal. She had always known he had feelings for her. Nodding in agreement, she raised her own hand to rest on top of his.

"There is something bothering me . . .and with this new sense of freedom that I've been granted it sort of makes things more confusing. But I can tell you this, and you will then understand why I can't tell anyone else." 

"So . . .what is it?" 

Anthy released a nervous sigh, lowering her gaze so she wouldn't need to make eye contact while she prepared herself to speak the worlds that could bring about many horrible memories. She knew however, that he was a trustworthy and understanding person, which put her more at ease. 

"The Duels have started again . . ." 

"What?!" 

"It's true . . ." She breathed in again, then removed her hand and clasped it together with her other on top of her lap. The Blue Rose Ring could be seen completely. "Yesterday, I found this ring in my locker, along with a note. The duels are starting again, and I've been made a duelist now." 

"But why would you accept the ring?!" Miki removed his hand and immediately rose from the piano bench. He waved the arm in front of him in a swinging action. "Why allow yourself to be caught up on this new mind game?!"

"I don't know . . ." Despite the reaction from him, Anthy managed to stay calm. "Not at first . . .but then I saw Yamato Airou and he was hurting that new girl named Varari Nobara. I don't mean like how Saionji slapped me occasionally . . .I mean full force hitting, kicking . . .as if she was a punching bag. I then found out he's the current champion . . .and Varari is the new Rose Bride. So . . .I challenged him to a duel this evening." 

Miki remained frozen in shocked, not only from the fact that there was now a new Student Council dueling over an innocent girl just to acquire some meaningless power, but the fact that Anthy was planning to duel Yamato Airou was just too much. Immediately grabbing his school case, he picked up all of his books and music sheets and stuffed them inside. 

"Miki?" Anthy rose too, her hand pressed against her heart as her other hung downward beside her. Chu-Chu looked over, wondering what was going on. 

"I . .I just remembered something important I have to do. I'm sorry about having to cut the lesson short today . . ."

"But . . ."

Anthy stepped forward to stop him, but already he was closing his case and walking toward the door. She frowned at his actions, mentally scolding herself for telling him about the new wave of dueling activities. Before exiting through the door frame however, Miki stopped and turned his head to look back once more.

"See you tomorrow, Himemiya-san . . ."

He left, closing the classroom door behind him and leaving Anthy standing alone in the dark music room. She frowned, looking out the window toward the sunset shadows which fell upon the ever so familiar dueling forest. Chu-Chu, sitting on top of the timer, frowned as both his ears and tail drooped from depression. 

"Chuuuu . . ." 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The forest was a place which brought forth endless memories as Anthy and Chu-Chu stood at the bottom of the flight of stairs leading within. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and the little monkey had perched himself upon the top of her head. Within her heart she could feel the fear building up, the very fear that had kept her away from the blood-stained grounds for so long. 

"This is it . . .so why can't I step forward? Why can't I ascend these stairs and enter the arena?" 

Suddenly, a pair of hands shot out toward her from behind. Before she knew what was going on, they grabbed both shoulders and forced her to turn around. Anthy cried out, but stopped when she looked into the face of the one who surprised her: Saionji. His expression revealed displeasure as he looked hard at her surprised face.

"Anthy! What the hell do you think you're planning to?!" 

"Something that needs to be done . . .Saionji-sempai . . ." 

Looking away as she spoke the necessary words, she frowned and her gaze dropped down to stare at the pavement. However, Saionji didn't like that, and he immediately grabbed her face and leaned in close to look directly into her eyes. 

"No it doesn't! No one needs to fight these stupid duels any longer, especially any of us that had the unfortunate pleasure of being caught up in those horrible duels last year!" 

"Saionji . . .you're hurting me!"

"WALK AWAY FROM THE FOREST NOW!" 

"I CAN'T!"

He immediately released her face, then brought the hand back to land a well placed slap on her left cheek. She cried out and stumbled back, grabbing her face for only an instant. Saionji watched her, but suddenly found himself caught off guard when she stepped forward, and repeated the action he inflicted onto his own face. He stumbled back and fell to the ground, eyes widened as far as they were capable of doing. 

"You . . .you hit me . . ." 

Anthy's eyes seemed to widen as well, watching Saionji's reaction to the sudden attack. She never knew she had it in her, to be able to stand up for herself in a situation she had allowed herself to be put through the year before. But then she reminded herself, that was then, and it's no longer goof for her to live in the past. Her hands dropped to both sides of her body, and she closed her eyes. 

"I'm sorry that I struck you, and you're right Saionji, no one needs to fight these duels any longer . . .but there is some higher power who thinks they needed to be started again." She sat down at the bottom of the grand staircase which led to the dueling forest, and clasped her hands together on top of her lap. "There's a new set of duelists, and an innocent girl who's been thrown into the role of the Rose Bride . . .a girl has been made an empty shell who has no emotions or will of her own. I know how she feels . . .and when I was made a duelist in this new and sadistic game, and when I saw Varari being abused by Yamato, I knew I needed to help her. This is what Utena would have wanted. Please Saionji-sempai, allow me to follow my heart, allow me to purge all the sins I've inflicted." 

His heart was touched, something that the Ex-Rose Bride had never been able to do in the past. He felt the emotions within her voice for the first time and to him, they were warm and friendly. He had never known Anthy to want to do anything more than what she was requesting, or even by her own will. No one was ordering her to fight the duels, but she was willing to duel to help another lost soul. All of what she said sank in, and he finally understood. 

"Anthy . . ."

A hand extended forward and gently held the chin of her face, lifting it up slowly so the two sets of eyes could meet. Anthy was amazed at what she saw when her eyes met Saionji's; a newborn sincerity, pure understanding and warmth that she was unable to detect long ago. Chu-Chu's eyes were releasing rivers of tears at what he considered to be a tender scene. She felt her heart racing as they stared at each other, but Saionji just chuckled as he released her face and stood up once again.

"Go rescue the Rose Bride then. Do it for yourself, and the rest of us . . .and especially for your prince. She would be proud of you."

"Thank you, Saionji-sempai." 

"Please, call me Saionji-kun. It's all I can say for now as an apology for treating you and Chu-Chu as I did . . ."

Anthy suddenly gasped at the mention of Chu-Chu, realizing that he could not enter the duelists arena if the rules were the same as when she was involved the year before. She stood up from the stairs, hands still clasped together as she looked into Saionji's face again. "I have a request for you. Can you please watch over Chu-Chu until I return?" 

"Anything for you, Anthy. Good luck in winning the duel, and take this." 

A smile appeared on the violet duelist's face as he handed her a samurai's sword, thankful he would fulfill the request and aid her in such an important way. Chu-Chu understood what was asked, and he immediately jumped off of Anthy's left shoulder to land on Saionji's. He let out a small squeak, his own way of wishing his master the best of luck. She nodded to show she understood, turning around again and beginning her ascend to the new dueling arena. Saionji and Chu-Chu watched her until she disappeared from their range of sight, causing him to frown and cross his arms. 

"I hope she'll be okay . . .what do you think Chu-Chu?" 

The little monkey released a loud squeal while flailing his arms up and down. In that way, it seemed he was telling Saionji not to doubt her determination. He chuckled for a moment before his faced morphed into a serious expression. 

"You're right, we should trust Anthy . . ."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Anthy remembered the path to the gondola very well, for walking along it as many times as she had before allowed her to memorize the way. However, she noticed that there were many differences which she could clearly see. Countless roses, both in bloom and still attempting to blossom, lined the pathway in many different colors. The tall spiraling staircase appeared into view immediately after passing the last of the roses and though it brought back horrific memories, she knew she had to press on. She needed to free Varari from Yamato's abusive hold. She continued to walk until she reached the gondola, stepping inside to begin her ascent into the sky arena. However, a surprise was brought forth to her when the mechanism activated and began descending instead of rising. 

"What?" Anthy found herself within a spiral of confusion. She was heading in the wrong direction to get to the duelists arena. "Where am I going?!" 

The descent continued, and realizing she could do nothing to change the course of the gondola, Anthy simply leaned back against the circular walls, clutched Saionji's blade and watched the lights pass by her. She suddenly began seeing different displays which brought back even more memories to her. A framed image of Saionji appeared, but it's display was seemingly haunting when she noticed two samurai sword's crossed over the picture to form an X. Sitting on top of the frame was a turquoise rose. 

"These must be reminders of the duels of last year . . .but who is going to all this trouble?" 

Another framed picture appeared before her, this time with two fencing blades crossed in front. She could see the picture was Miki, and even if she hadn't she had realized it represented him when she saw a light blue rose resting on the top. No sooner had it disappeared, she saw the same display for Juri, only with two raipers and an orange rose. Nanami's seemed the most different, for the weapons crossed were a scimitar and dagger with the yellow rose. Touga's was exactly like Saionji's only the rose was red. Mikage appeared as well, with the black rose resting upon the frame and his sword style crossed in front. Ruka's was a cross between Miki and Juri with the sword style, but he had a dark blue rose. Akio's picture brought back disguisting memories of his cruelty and lack of emotion, seeing the sword's crossed over an empty frame full of white rose petals. Finally, Utena's display appeared, with the rusted Sword of Dios piercing a pink rose where her heart would be. It was quite the sadistic appearance to Anthy. 

"Disguisting . . ." She crossed her arms in front of herself and attempted to hold back her tears of painful sorrow. "Why did they have to do that to Utena?" 

A jolt suddenly caused Anthy to cry out and stumble forward, for the gondola had reached its mysterious destination. She would have slammed into the gates which led outward but they unexpectedly whisked open and she fell out and onto the marble floor. Lifelessness overtook her for mere moments before she lifted her face slowly to study the foreign surroundings. 

"Where am I?" 

It seemed mysterious in its appearance, and while some things seemed familiar others were completely strange to her. Before her was a pathway to an arena completely surrounded by water which seemingly glowed and illuminated the setting. Seven pillars surrounded the blue rose design upon the floor, each represented by a color of the rainbow. Anthy climbed to her feet and removed the sword from the ground beside her. She gulped to prepare herself mentally, for she was now in a world she could not escape until the final victory. Anthy walked down the small set of stairs and along the illuminated path toward the center of the room where she could see the arena. More memories of the past returned to her as she saw all of their old duelist uniforms floating upon the water on both sides, appearing in the same order as the portraits during the descent. At the end of the path she saw both her old gown and Utena's black uniform upon the path, which she stepped over gracefully. She entered the arena, where she saw Yamato Airou waiting for her. 

"It's about time you got here." His grin widened on his face, while the iris and pupils in both eyes shrank. He seemed sinisterly diabolical to her. "For a while I thought the Ex-Rose Bride was going to lose her will and chicken out. I figured you didn't want to act human." 

"I'm here aren't I? Let's get started." 

"Well, since you've already been involved in this, I have no need to explain this to you." Turning to a darkened section of the arena, Yamato swung at the air and pointed a finger toward the darkness. "Rose Bride! Prepare us to duel!" 

Stepping out of the darkness in her long white dress, Varari Nobara's hair waved back and forth as she walked toward the two duelists before her and carried an orange and purple rose. Her dress dragged along the ground and her face was completely blank of any expression and void of all emotion. She stepped toward Anthy first, carefully sliding the stem of the purple rose into the jacket pocket. Varari reached out suddenly and grasped her hand next, lifting it upward and gently pressing her lips against the palm before releasing it. Turning on her heel, she walked toward and stopped in front of Yamato before sliding the orange roses stem into his jacket pocket. Before she could lift and kiss the palm of his hand though, Yamato lashed out and grabbed the collar of her dress. He pressed a hard and violent kiss against Varari's lips before throwing her aside. He glared at her and walked over again, lashing out once more and forcing her onto her feet. 

"You truly are pathetic. Summon the sword, bitch!" 

"Yes . . .Master Yamato." It seemed as if Varari was acting out Anthy's role in spades, not attempting to defend herself or retaliate against the duelists's aggressive inflictions. "Your wish is my command." 

Her empty eyes became hidden away by her eyelids and her hands extended forward. A small sphere of energy appeared, floating above both palms in the shape of a glowing white rose. Anthy watched, captivated but horrified all at once to see a new power which she was certain the new group of duelists would be after. But was it the same as before? Was it the power of Dios or is it a new force? 

"Noble petals upon this white rose, I beseech thee to answer my prayer. I call upon the dispelled, the new and the old, bring forth the new power . . .Taune . . ." 

The energy rose suddenly began releasing a more bright illumination, which flew out of out of Varari's open hands and up into the air above her. It circled around for but a few moments before soaring downward and behind. It remained motionless for a moment as the Rose Bride seemed to prepare to embrace a future pain . . .or at least that was what Anthy thought it looked like. The energy came back to life and shot forward, striking Varari in the back and forcing her eyes open. She released a shrill cry as the handle of a sword appeared from her now lifeless body. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body slumped to the ground where she laid upon her back. Yamato grinned at the sight of the fallen bride and the now floating blade above her body. He stepped forward, lashing out his violent hands and grasping the handle tightly. 

"Grant me the ability to force upon this world, revolution!" 

No sooner had the display ended, Anthy was immediately forced to defend herself when she was suddenly attacked by the thrust of Yamato's sword. She cried out and leapt back to dodge, bringing up her sword and removing the sheath which covered it. Tossing it aside, she immediately gripped the handle with both hands just as Yamato charged again. He swung at her, and Anthy swung back out of a sudden inspiration of instinct. Both metals collided and locked, the sounds echoing outward to fill the arena. Each duelist poured all of their strength into their weapons as they remained frozen in place. 

"So it seems you picked up a little bit of swordplay from watching all of the duels from the previous year!" His voice sent chills down her spine and he knew how much he was frightening her. It only seemed to fuel his desire to fight more. "Why don't you just stop right now? The dueling arena is no place for a woman with no will. The sword is no object for a witch to wield!" 

"I am no witch! I am Anthy Himemiya, and I will become what Utena Tenjou attempted to do; become a prince and protect the Rose Bride so when I get the power to bring revolution, I CAN ESCAPE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD!" 

Yamato was not impressed with her little speech it appeared. Without any signs of warning, Yamato pushed his fist forward and slammed it into Anthy's stomach, forcing her to accidentally let go of her sword and stumble back. As she clutched her now hurting gut, Yamato charged again and rammed her body back. She stumbled again and fell to the floor, keeping a hand draped across her stomach. One eye closed and she kept the other locked on Yamato as he advanced toward her, now holding both swords. 

"I'm going to enjoy beating you, just as I enjoy beating all my opponents." He licked his lips in anticipation, which seemed to frighten Anthy even more. "And when I win, you'll wish you were never involved in this!" 

The only thing she could think of doing was slowly backing away from Yamato as fast as she could, slowly moving across the floor of the arena. He continued to advance and she continued to back away, unaware that her space of retreat was slowly getting smaller and smaller. Her hand suddenly went past the floor, forcing Anthy to panic and cry out. She realized she had reached the edge of the arena and now she was completely boxed in by her opponent. Yamato couldn't help but laugh maniacally at her misjudgment. 

"You hopeless bitch! You allowed yourself to be boxed in!" He sneered and laughed once more before pointing the tips of both blades right in front of Anthy. There was only a few inches between her face and the weapons in front of her, causing her eyes to widen. "How do you hope to do that when you cannot hope to defend yourself in this duel!?" 

The waters surrounding the arena suddenly illuminated to the point where it could nearly blind a normal human being, causing both Yamato and Anthy to shield their eyes and cry out. Waves began to crash against the rocky walls and under the platform, sending spray upward and at the two duelists. Anthy realized the light around her was beginning to dim, allowing her to remove her tanned hands from her face. The first thing that her eyes landed on would have been enough to possibly scare her to death. 

" . . .Utena?" 

A transparent body levitated above the bewildered Anthy Himemiya, revealing a warm smile upon the face which was half hidden way by shadows. Long and wavy rose colored hair floated in all directions as if the body was indeed underwater. The body was indeed female, wrapped within a black duelists uniform with red shorts and socks, and white shoes. Her arms were extended outward as if to embrace the next person she saw. Anthy seemed mesmerized by the sight.

"Utena? Is it you?"

The figure did not respond, nor did it deny the name. Anthy seemed puzzled, but suddenly felt a brand new energy filling her body as the spirit descended and merged with her. She felt herself lose control of her movements while the blinding light faded away completely. The arena returned to normal, and the water's immediately calmed down. 

"What is this feeling inside of me?" Despite losing control over her body, Anthy was still mentally aware of everything going on around her. Her now blue eyes shifted back to Yamato, who was still gripping his face from the sting that the light inflicted upon his own eyes. "He's distracted. I have to use this opportunity or I cannot win!" 

Anthy's body raced forward and toward Yamato, suddenly dropping the ground and onto her back. She leaned back and brought her foot upward to collide with his hand which was holding her own sword, causing it to be hurled up into the air. He cried out at the sudden attack, and he was now the one which stumbled back in shock. The sword descended rapidly toward the ground, but the hand of Anthy immediately lashed out and grabbed the handle before charging forward again. 

Thrust, parry, thrust, jab . . .she was beginning to make an important comeback as she forced Yamato backwards and across the arena floor. He was in complete denial of the unfolding events as he made all efforts to block as many of her advances as he could. 

"NO!" His thoughts raced rapidly through his head. Complete confusion engulfed his senses and he was trying as hard as he could to understand the reality of what was happening, but it proved to be useless. "HOW CAN I BE LOSING TO AN EX-ROSE BRIDE?!"

Yamato suddenly found himself falling backwards, realizing he had tripped over his own feet from walking backwards too long and attempting to concentrate on defense at the same time. His eyes widened with true fear as Anthy stood over him, sword poised to finish the job. She raised the sword above her head and brought it downward, slicing through the rose upon his chest. Orange petals seemingly exploded outward and scattered all around Yamato, followed by a horrified scream of agony. He rested upon his knees and fell forward onto the arena floor, slamming his fists down over and over. 

"HOW COULD I LOSE!? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" 

Anthy's eyes suddenly returned to their normal color of green and she stumbled back slightly from the shock of regaining control over her body. She released a gasp of fatigue, despite not controlling the actions she was able to feel the effects of them. Watching the sword disappear from Yamato's hands, Anthy suddenly looked over to Varari's body as it slowly pushed up and off the floor. When she was upon her feet, the new Rose Bride clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled toward the violet haired duelist. Anthy, still in shock, raised her hand and placed it over her heart and the rose upon her uniform. She cast her face downward toward the ring finger while pondering over what happened. 

"Did this all just happen? Did I actually see her? Did I actually just win? Am I . . . am I the champion now? Me? An ex-Rose Bride?" She looked upward again, seeing the waters reflecting the beautiful castle upon the walls of the arena. She didn't feel any surprise or shock, but in a way, she was suddenly calm. "It's all started now, I'm on my way to ridding us all of the sins we unknowingly committed. I'm now walking the road of a duelist . . ." 

She smiled and removed the rose from her uniform, inhaling the scent of it's many petals. Walking over to the edge of the arena where she found herself trapped before, she looked down at the waters which continued to reflect the mysterious castle. Taking the rose, she gently tossed it forward and onto the waves before turning around and walking away.

"Thank you Utena . . .I'll complete your dream now . . .and become a real prince so I can see you again on the outside world . . ."

  


_To Be Continued . . ._

  


There we have it! Whatcha think? Anthy beating Yamato proves that this story is only gonna get more exciting with future duels and various other conflicts. And of course remember, Varari isn't your ordinary Rose Bride and you'll see exactly what I mean next time. Please leave a review, and remember the super deformed M.I.S.T. people are still gonna get those who won't review! ^-^ See ya next time! 

  



	4. Ce n'est pas realite, mais ce n'est pas ...

Dawn of Revolution

Disclaimer: You know whom I own and you know whom I don't own. Wish I did, but Chiho Saito does. She is so awesome! There's a big spoiler warning as well, with two major scenes from the final episode of the TV series. Anywho, with that concern addressed, please enjoy! 

Chapter Four

_Ce n'est pas realite, mais ce n'est pas du fantasie: The Tale of the Ocean Rose Princess _

"I wonder, I wonder, do you know what I wonder?" 

Television screens turned on all over Ohtori Academy as the student body all flocked to their lockers to see who they will be sharing dorm rooms with for the year. As the screen came into focus, the puppets of H-ko and I-ko walked onto the set and began their routine. I-ko was jumping up and down for joy as she talked to her shadow counterpart.

"They've put to the lists for who's made the hockey team!" I-ko's puppet suddenly disappeared, but returned a moment later. She sported a complete hockey uniform as a referee's whistle echoed in the background. "I hope I get to play left wing!"

"There were a lot of people trying out for the team this year, even that girl who did flower arranging." H-ko appeared next, sitting on her knees and arranging tulips and willows within a vase in front of her. She looked as if she was dressed in a ceremonial kimono.

"Really? I never thought of her as an aggressive person, how will she ever survive on the hockey team?" 

"But didn't you hear? She's got the best body check out of all those trying out!" Laughing aloud, H-ko grabbed I-ko's stick away and charged forward, slamming into I-ko and sending her toppling backwards to the ground. 

"Wow! It's amazing how people can shatter your expectations of them!" I-ko nodded rapidly to herself and began twirling around once again before she was joined by H-ko.

"We wonder, we wonder . . ." H-ko and I-ko continued to speak and twirl about, despite being pulled upward and off the television screen. The scenery then faded out to black. "Oh the things we seem to wonder . . ."

"NOOOOO!" I-Ko suddenly dropped back into view and placed a hand over her eyes as she began to wail and cry aloud. "They made me the towel girl! My life is over!" 

H-ko simply yawned. "Bummer . . ."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Great, why didn't I borrow a cart from the library like everyone else?" 

Stumbling back and forth along the path to the southern dorms, what appeared to be a large pile of books, a monkey nestled upon the top of the stack, and a couple of duffle bags with legs seemed to draw the attention of many spectators. They giggled and teased the person slightly until a sudden misstep caused them to fall forward, spilling all of their belongings onto the concrete pathway, sending the small creature tumbling forward and away until it was out of sight. The figure, now revealed to be Anthy Himemiya, lay there dazed for a moment before regaining her sense of location. 

"This is no fun at all . . ." She let out a groan of frustration as she sat up onto her knees and began scooping up the scattered textbooks. "Why the heck do I have all of this stuff anyway? Do 9th graders really need it?" 

Despite feeling like a silly fool at the current moment, Anthy actually was feeling very good about herself deep down inside. Freeing Varari from Yamato's possession really seemed to be beneficial. The new Rose Bride seemed content whenever Anthy saw her at school, though she couldn't remember what activities she was in if any. Then again, she herself hadn't decided what she was going to take part in, though she figured that joining the Fencing and Kendo clubs would be the most beneficial for her. Saionji was still captain after all, and Ruka had turned over the position of captain over to Juri at the very end of the last school year.

"Well, if anything was like last year then Varari should be waiting in my dorm, considering that I'm probably the new champion of the duels after all." Nodding to herself, Anthy continued to pick up books from the ground since there were in reality quite a few. Suddenly, she noticed her math textbook was missing. "Huh? Where did it go?" 

"Is this what you're looking for?"

A shadow appeared on the ground and over Anthy suddenly as the missing textbook extended forward within the grasp of a pale hand. Anthy noticed, though being a little startled by the sudden appearance, looked up to see the smiling face of Varari Nobara. She seemed the best of health, for she was no longer sporting the bruise which was previously located on her left cheek. 

"How are you today, Lady Anthy?" She closed her eyes while still smiling, a sight Anthy was all too familiar with from the old days. The raven-haired female kneeled down to the ground and began scooping up the remainder of the spilled textbooks along with Anthy. "I see you had a little accident, am I right?" 

"Yeah . . .it's hard when your vision is completely blocked."

"That's why I stored my second semester books at school, I'll be bringing them back tomorrow." Handing the collected textbooks over, both Varari and Anthy rose from the ground and brushed off their uniforms before a gasp escaped the new Rose Bride. "Oh, I almost forgot. You and I are sharing a dorm as by the rules of the Blue Rose Signet, but you probably must have already figured that out, seeing as you were the last Rose Bride."

"You're exactly right, Varari." Suddenly, Anthy gasped as she suddenly remembered that there was indeed something missing. "Oh no! Where did Chu-Chu go?"

"Umm . . ." Varari seemed very puzzled at the sudden question. She simply blinked and looked around the area. "What's a Chuu-Chuu?"

"No, no, Chu-Chu. He's my friend, though most people probably think he's just a pet. He's a purple monkey with large mouse like ears and a long skinny tail." 

"Oh!" Varari laughed at the thought of where she had last seen what Anthy has just described. "A girl with blond hair and purple eyes was screaming something about a monkey on her head . . .but then she calmed down after looking at it. She might still have it with her."

"Oh, what a relief. I should find that girl before she reports Chu-Chu to the faculty. They had a problem with him last year and I could get in serious trouble for it." 

"Do you mean this little critter, Himemiya-sempai?"

Both girls turned around, with Varari wondering just who the voice was and Anthy knowing exactly who to expect. Standing in the middle of the pathway, with Chu-Chu perched upon the braid keeping her hair back, was Nanami Kiryuu. Unlike her past persona where a smile upon her face signaled dangerous planning, it seemed to show a pure sense of change. She walked over to Anthy and reached out to grab and shake a free hand as Chu-Chu jumped over to perch himself on his master's head.

"How are you today, Himemiya-sempai?" she asked cheerfully. "Well as always?" 

"I suppose so, yes Nanami-san. And you can call me Anthy-san if you want, since you still believe in a formality with my name." 

"That is so wonderful! Oh Anthy-san, you've grown so much since the last year from all of that chaos! I'm glad to see you've recovered at least." Suddenly Nanami gasped, an idea popping into her head. "Say, why don't you come over this weekend? I can call Keiko, Aiko, and Yuuko, and we can have a sleepover or something! You can bring that little monkey too, plus the one beside you." 

"That would be wonderful." 

"By the way, what is her name?" 

"My name is Varari Nobara, and I am Anthy's fiancée! It is an honor to meet you, Kiryuu-san."

Nanami simply stood there, blinking and trying to process exactly what Varari had just mentioned. The Rose Bride simply stood there and blinked too, looking back and forth between Anthy and Nanami. She was confused also, only her reasons were a little different. Walking forward, she stopped in front of the blond eighth grader and tapped against her forehead. 

"Are you okay Kiryuu-san?" 

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! THE DUELS ARE OVER! DON'T JOKE ABOUT SOMETHING AS BEING ENGAGED AND ALL OF THAT JUNK!" 

Anthy gasped, jumping forward and making an attempt to clasp her hand over Nanami's mouth. As soon as Nanami was silenced from revealing more about the Rose Duels, the three girls had suddenly noticed that they were gathering quite an array of glances and odd looks. The three remained frozen in the middle of the pathway for a few moments before they finally forced themselves to release nervous laughs. After making a very quick grab at all of their belongings, they instantly took off and ran toward the dorm of Varari and Anthy, leaving behind quite a trail of dust. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Eastern Dorm had been left the same since the year before. The only difference was that the interior was actually inhabitable than the previous year upon Utena and Anthy's arrival. There were no cobwebs hanging in the corners of the walls, no debris scattered in pieces across a worn away floor, and of course, no mice inhabiting the residence. It was definitely a much better place than the previous year, with the exceptions of the memories held by those who formerly dwelled within its walls. 

"Next time Nanami-san . . .don't shout out information out loud about the Rose Duels okay?"

"I'll keep that in mind for next time." 

Leaning against the wall or sitting down upon the floor, Nanami, Anthy and Varari all took the time to catch the breath they had all lost in the sprint to their dorm. Chu-Chu seemed to be lying on the small coffee table in the middle of the room, hooked up to a tiny oxygen mask. After a few more moments passed, the violet haired female rose to her feet and proceeded to brush out the wrinkles in her pleated skirt. 

"Well, it would appear we are finally in closed quarters, so any secret topics of conversation would be good to bring up right about now." 

"That's good!" Nanami's eyebrows seemed to lower, causing her eyes to narrow in a slight fit of anger. She too climbed to her feet, walking over to now stand in front of Varari Nobara. She extended her index finger forward, poking the raven-haired girl's forehead in such a way that her head started bobbing back and forth like a bottleneck figure. "I want to know if your definition of engaged relates to the Rose Duels! As Anthy Himemiya's best friend I am entitled to know, even if she hasn't given you the command to do so!" 

"Who said she needed to tell me to tell you? I'm perfectly capable of telling you about the new duels on my own will, aren't I?"

"Eh?" 

Both girls were suddenly very perplexed at the words spoken by Varari. Here, standing in front of them was the new Rose Bride, and of course they were fully aware that a Rose Bride possessed no will of her own, allowing herself to be easily manipulated by the champion of the Rose Duels. But it seemed that it was no the case, for Varari had vouched to reveal the information BY her own will. As the two stared at her in disbelief none paid heed to Chu-Chu, who was starting to inflate from the overdose of oxygen it seemed. 

"What's wrong?" Varari blinked in confusion, looking back and forth between the two female students. "Lady Anthy, did I say something inappropriate just now?" 

"Well . . ." Though she was still confused, Anthy seemed to have a theory building up inside of her head. She decided to immediately test it out. "Varari, what made you just offer up information on these duels. Was there a higher power which told you to reveal it?" 

"No?"

"No one told you to offer an explanation?"

"Nope." 

"Maybe you better tell us everything then, including about yourself."

Giving a nod of agreement, Varari smiled as the walked over and grabbed pillows for them to sit down upon. They lowered themselves onto them, surrounding the coffee table as Anthy Nanami would in the old days when they plus Utena and Miki had their study group. Chu-Chu suddenly squealed when he became too inflated, causing the mask to pop off of his mouth. He was propelled backwards, flying around the room like a balloon while the three girls began their conversation.

"Okay Varari, why not tell us about the duels this time around." Anthy frowned, thinking about the old days and how much pain it brought to everyone involved. "Why is the power to revolutionize the world being sought after once again?"

"The one who made me a Rose Bride, said something about wanting to see an old face. But to do so the power to revolutionize was needed. The face they said was yours, Lady Anthy."

"Who is the new End of the World?" asked Nanami. 

"I don't know . . .they never said their name." Thinking for a moment, Varari blinked a few times as she tapped a finger against the corner of her mouth. "I only saw a shadowed form when they first came to me. I remember . . .I remember the scent of roses . . .white, purple, red, green . . .all the colors of the rainbow." 

"Are all of the student council members duelists?"

"Yes." 

"Tell me about the castle within the reflection of the water down in the duel arena." 

"The power is inside that castle, the final victor and the rose bride will enter the palace and meet the courageous princess within. She will pass over the power to revolutionize."

"Princess?"

"The princess was courageous as I just said before. But she tried to escape her fate by trying to become a prince after another prince freed her from the confides of darkness, showing her something eternal. She arrived to the land and proceeded to follow her dream by saving a will-less woman from others who sought the puzzle pieces of the power: the shining thing, the eternity, and the miracle. She fought, coming closer and closer each day to shedding her princess guise, but the devil soon forced a sin upon her and it prevented her from becoming a true prince. She entered the Sky Palace, and confronted the devil in one final battle. However, the woman the princess swore to protect turned out to be a witch under the influence of the devil, and she betrayed the princess."

Anthy became silent for a moment, clasping her hands together upon the table. She knew very well that the story Varari was revealing was a guise that in reality, chronicled the final hours within the castle in the sky. Anthy very clearly could remember all the events of the duel called Revolution, including her own sell out to Akio by betraying her true prince.

_"Himemiya . . .why?" _

_The projector changed the scenery quickly, revealing a carousal in the background. Echo's of content children could be heard all around the three, Akio, Anthy and Utena. She could hear the pink haired duelist's gasps of life, attempting to stay within their mortal coil. The sword that had pierced her body was still within her, still being clutched by Anthy's tanned hand. The violet haired lowered her face down to Utena's, moving her lips beside her ear. _

_"You remind me of the Dios I once loved, but you cannot become my Prince, because . . .Utena Tenjou . . .because in reality, you are only a girl."_

_"Hime . . .Himemiya . . ."_

_Pulling the sword out of her body, Anthy threw it to the side and listened as the metal skidded across the dueling arena floor, disappearing into the shadows. She lifted herself off of the fallen prince to be and walked over to her soul blade, still being clutched tightly within her hand. Anthy paused for a moment and looking down at Utena's falling form, a frown appeared across the Rose Bride's face. _

_"What have I done?" she thought. "Have I really . . .have I really sold my soul to the devil?" _

"The devil had posed as the prince who saved that princess, and she didn't realize it until it was too late. The witch didn't realize until it was too late either, not until she found herself suspended in the air, with the million swords of humanity's hatred piercing her own body many times over." Varari took a quick breath, knowing she had said a great deal already. However, she was not done her story yet. "The princess recovered though, and proceeded toward the Rose Gate. The devil tried to stop her, holding her back behind the guise that he still cared about her. She didn't fall for it though. She conquered him and his lies, and knowing she had done so, she proceeded to the Rose Gate and began her attempt to open it, to free the witch from her own sin."

_"Himemiya . . .Himemiya . . ."_

_Darkness was all that existed within the Rose Coffin, all Anthy could see was her darkness of her confined self. The voice startled her at first, but not because of its appearance. What started her was the familiarity of it. A small beam of light suddenly entered the coffin, slowly revealing her body to the one attempting to free her. Anthy had an idea who it was, but she needed to be able to confirm her hopes. _

_"Who . . .are you?"_

_"I came here to save you." The voice was much younger than the one she was thinking of. In fact, it wasn't even speaking in the reality. Anthy felt the voice echoing through her mind, like a lost memory. "I came here to meet you, so . . ." _

_"But you're a . . ."_

_"So don't be afraid of the world where we'll meet . . ."_

_The little girl disappeared, suddenly left behind by a flash of light that quickly vanished. Anthy's eyes suddenly widened at what she saw in the crack of the opening coffin; Utena Tenjou. Her blue eyes were widened, filled with both a sense of hope and tears of joy. Her hand slowly entered he coffin as she attempted to push it further open. _

_"Himemiya!" _

_"Lady Utena?" _

_"Himemiya . . .we finally meet! Take my hand!"_

_"You must not help me! Run away while you can! The swords are . . ."_

_"Take my hand!" Come on!" _

_"You don't understand Utena, I beg you! If you don't run away quickly . . ."_

_"Please! Take my hand! Take it . . .and someday we can . . ." _

_She knew Utena would never give up on her; it was just her nature. Anthy looked up at the pink haired duelist, realizing she was not going to leave without her. She found that her hand was suddenly moving upward, edging closer and closer to the one of her savior. Their fingers manage to touch, and with a little more effort both covered more space, allowing Utena to grab those fingers._

_"Try harder Anthy!"_

_Suddenly, the walls of the coffin suddenly broke away from all around her, and the colors of the sky flooded her vision. Anthy released a scream as she found her hand falling away from Utena, when she realized the platform had broken. She saw the arena rise further and further away, and before she finally blacked out she watched as Utena collapsed forward onto the path. Her arm dangled from her body and her hair waved in the winds of the sky. Before she black out, she also heard the duelist's voice . . .once last time. _

_"I really . . .I really couldn't become a prince . . ." Anthy's eyes filled with tears at the declaration. "I'm sorry Himemiya . . .sorry for ending up to just be your make-believe prince . . .forgive me . . ." _

"In the end, she freed the soul within the witch who was forced to die for the devil, but she went missing. No one knows exactly how the two parted ways, no one knows if either survived. It is also unknown if she became a prince or not, so we call her the Ocean Rose Princess. We call her that because a spiritual look-alike dwells within, and you can only see the palace now when light hits the waters surrounding the arena." 

Nanami looked as if she would burst out into tears at the story. Chu-Chu it seemed had already done so, holding a tissue as tears practically flowed out of his eyes like two waterfalls. It handed a clean tissue to Nanami, who promptly used it hen she found herself unable to hold back her sadness. Anthy could only frown, keeping her hands clasped upon the table.

"The princess could not become a prince?" 

"No one knows . . .only she knows. I want to find out, honestly . . ."

Anthy nodded in agreement with Varari. She too needed to know it seemed. "I just have one more question Varari, and it's about you as a Rose Bride."

"Ask away." 

"If . . .if you have your own will and not like I was last year when I had none . . .then why did you allow Yamato to hurt you like that?" 

"Well . . ." Varari released a small cough after covering her mouth, knowing it was a good question coming from the ex-bride. She nodded to herself slightly, then looked up and at Anthy with her light violet eyes. "Yamato told me to take it . . ."

"What?" 

"Yeah, it does sound odd. I know that . . .but even though I still lead my own life with archery and looking for a boyfriend, I still have to follow orders given to me by the code of the Rose Bride. When he first started to beat me, I actually did fight back. But then he said 'hold still and take it like the soulless bitch you are', so of course I had no choice but to let him do it."

"That makes more sense . . .I think." 

"I will still do whatever you ask me to do Lady Anthy, but I will not cling to you. I will still lead my own life and spend time doing the things I like to do. I'll still be a Rose Bride, just a more soulful one."

Both satisfied with the answers given, Anthy and Nanami both nodded and smiled to the Rose Bride before them. To Anthy herself, it seemed that the new round of Rose Duels would indeed be completely unpredictable. She had no idea what to expect, with new duelists she had never met before, with herself being a duelist, and having a rather independent Rose Bride such as Varari Nobara. 

"Oh my!" Looking down at the watch on her wrist, Nanami's eyes suddenly widened at the realization of the time. She immediately jumped up to her feet. "It's dinner time!"

"Really?" 

"Would you like to stay for supper Nanami?" Anthy smiled to the blond friend, causing her to smile in return at the realization that it was not a soulless expression. "We can have pasta or lasagna if you like them." 

"AAAAAH!" Nanami's eyes suddenly lit up at the suggestion. "I LOVE LASAGNA!"

Yes indeed. For Anthy, it was going be an unpredictable year . . .one she would never forget . . .

_To Be Continued . . ._

Yes people, you saw right. Nanami is no longer the rude, selfish little sister of Touga that she used to be. And yes, she is indeed Anthy's newest best friend for my series. Also I thought it would be interesting to tell of the last events of the TV series in a fashion like the intro's to the episodes when they would talk about Utena and her meeting with Prince Dios. Now I'm off to think of an idea for the next episode. Maybe we'll see what's going on with Touga, but prepare for the next duel. See ya next time! 


	5. Parce Que tu es la Seul Amour Pour Moi ...

Dawn of Revolution

Disclaimer: I do not own anything copyrighted by Chito Saito and Be-Papas, characters, Ohtori Academy, but I do own Varari, Yamato, Midori, Riki, Izumo, H-ko, I-ko, and the new descent sequence into the underground Duel Arena. Now let's see why Midori wants to bring revolution. Enjoy! 

Note: Oh kami-sama, I'm so very sorry for this long hiatus. I was having a great deal of trouble with this chapter. I hope no one minds, I think I did a good job with it despite it being so long. Any ways, in the first scene of this episode, the lines in italics are actually those, which come from a nearby TV, and not of memories. Anything else is a memory. 

Chapter Five  
_Parce Que tu es la Seul Amour Pour Moi: Vengeful Shades of Jealous Green _

  


_"How many times have I fought with you under these skies?" _

"It was only three . . ." 

_"How strange . . .it feels like we've fought so often . . .over things petty and serious it seemed . . ."_

"How right you are . . .why couldn't I protect you . . ." 

The light of the full moon hanging in the midnight blue sky shone downward and through the windows of a grand room within the Kiryuu residence. A figure lay sprawled out across a large bed, void of movement and seemingly struggling to live independently. His head was hung over the side, allowing long red hair to touch and scatter across the floor. The glow from a nearby television playing a tragic romance movie revealed the figure to be Touga Kiryuu, holding onto a frame containing a picture of Utena in the gown he gave to her when he first started to get to know her. 

"You're my precious one . . .my rose haired princess . . .so why couldn't I be your prince?" 

_"Because he is another . . .the one who showed me something those many years ago . . .something that allowed me to face this cruel world once again and go on living. He is the reason I am here . . ."_

"How I wish my presence had been what brought you out of the coffin . . .Tenjou . . .Utena . . .but where have you disappeared to now?" 

_"Why do you ask?"_

Touga's eyes seemed completely lifeless along with his body, staring off into the space between his face and the ceiling over his head. Sitting over on a nearby nightstand by his bed, a vase held two roses, one white and one red. Both seemed to be face away from the other. As Touga spoke once more, one of the red petals broke away and fluttered down and toward the floor. At the same time a single tear fell away from his eyes and landed with a tiny splash. 

"Because . . .even now . . .I still love you . . ." 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Oh Anthy-san you look so pretty!" 

"It seems we can do anything we want and it will always compliment your beautiful hair and eyes!" 

"Oh come on girls," Anthy's nervous laughter could be heard from within a large well-lit room. "I'm not that pretty, in fact I consider myself somewhat plain." 

With different colored pillows and seemingly warm quilts tossed around all over the room, six giggling girls sat in the center of the mess, with five surrounding one certain violet haired female. Varari giggled as she brought a stick of lipstick forward and carefully applied it to her engaged one's mouth, while Nanami was experimenting with different hairstyles for Keiko. 

"Why darling you will be the belle of the ball!" 

Nanami couldn't help but laugh at Varari's comments to Anthy, especially knowing there was indeed a grand dance slowly approaching within the next week. Everyone was sure that Anthy would be asked by Saionji to attend, and it was an impossible outcome to predict especially with his new personality and attitude toward her. He had been very gentlemen like to her since she fought Yamato, holding open doors and getting her drinks and whatever ways he saw would be good opportunities to help make her life slightly easier. 

"I really don't know, I still consider myself a very plain girl." Anthy picked up a nearby hand mirror and examined herself within the glass, giving a faint smile. "My looks are what I consider average but I'm still happy with that. Besides, you and Nanami are the prettiest I think." 

"You are much too modest Anthy-sempai!" Aiko looked over as she talked with a mouthful of hairpins, still pulling a brush gently through Yuuko's hair. "You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror and see just how pretty you are. No wonder both Miki-kun and Saionji-sempai are after your affection!" 

Anthy couldn't help but blush at the comment, thanking her lucky stars that her dark skin hid most of the redness. When it came to Miki, she wasn't quite sure what to think of his shy affections, especially since she considered him the best friend she needed for the male side of the human race, for different opinions on anything Nanami just couldn't help her with. As for Saionji, she has always seemed to have a place in her heart for him. Despite his actions of the past, she realized that he cared for her deeply. She knew her life allowed no possibly of being a princess, but she knew deep within that Saionji was slowly becoming her true prince. 

"I'll take your word for it everyone, though I still stick by my opinions too." she calmly replied, looking at herself in the mirror once more that Varari was holding in front of her face. "I do admit though, you're right about this lipstick color." 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, which seemed to catch everyone off guard, especially Keiko as she found that she accidentally made a small mess with the lipstick on Nanami's cheek. The blond released a frustrated growl as she wiped off the extra makeup, making her way to the door as she did so. Opening it toward her, she smiled and released a quick squeal of content. 

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Letting out a giggle, she lashed out and seemingly grabbed an arm that she proceeded to pull into the room. "Where have you been?" 

"Trying to find this place! I've never had to go to the Kiryuu residence before remember?" 

A few more inches into the room suddenly spilled the artificial lights onto the new girl, who had shoulder length creamy colored green hair and a pair of dark brown eyes. She had a knapsack attached to her back, colored black and green. She looked around the room and gasped upon locking her eyes on both Anthy and Varari before narrowing them and breaking away from Nanami to find a place to sit, where she could keep everyone in eyesight. Anthy simply blinked in confusion at the actions, turning toward Varari and showing her very lost sense to her. 

"What was that all about?" 

"Don't mind her, she's always a grouch." Nanami released a sigh of disappointment, most likely directed toward the green haired newcomer. "That's Midori Ezura. She's in the 10th grade and is captain of the debate team. People say her fiery attitude and her glare scare the competition into defeat every time. She's also on the Student Council, I think she's the ambassador to when they have those council rally's." 

"But . . ." Crawling over to Anthy and placing her hand over the ear, Varari giggled as she began to whisper into it. "The temper only came after a really bad breakup and relevance in her ex-boyfriend's life. I don't know the whole story, even though I know Midori a little bit." 

"Oh? How so?" 

Varari simply giggled at Anthy's question, giving a wink before she revealed two thumbs up to her. "I'll let you find that out yourself." 

Blinks of utter confusion were all that Anthy could seem to do as Varari left her sitting there to head over to Aiko who was requesting that she attempted some unique styles with her hair. The violet haired female snapped out her trance, looking over to where Midori had seated herself to see that she was reading a martial arts magazine. She blinked at what was told to her and how Varari was acting toward the situation. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

That night, Anthy suddenly awoke to the sounds of some type of shouting. Rising from her sleeping bag, she took few moments to wipe the sleep from her eyes and looked around to all of the sleeping forms within Nanami's large bedroom. Indeed everyone was still sleeping, but then suddenly an odd absence made the violet haired duelist curious. With her bedspread empty as if it had never been touched, it appeared that Midori was missing. 

"Maybe she couldn't sleep . . ." 

Suddenly a crash was heard of something fragile against the ground, which made Anthy almost cry out in surprise, but she managed to cover her mouth before any sound escaped and accidentally awoke any of the sleeping girls in the room. She climbed out of her sleeping bag with great silence and slow movements, making her way toward the door. 

The hallway was completely dark with the exception of the moonlight flooding inside from the large windows. Since the windows were grand and shaped like elegant arches, more of the moon's glow was allowed to enter and flood the walls and floors. Anthy found herself venturing further down the hallway, carefully listening for any more sounds like the shouting she had previously heard. 

"YOU WHORE!" 

Suddenly there was a crash of what sounded like glass against the walls outside of the grand mansion. Anthy gasped and nearly jumped a few feet off of the floor from the sudden sounds, but she quickly managed to regain her senses as she took a second to catch her accelerated breath. Finding herself by one of the windows, she decided to look outside and see if the noise was emitting from there. She gasped at what she saw. 

"Would you give it up already Midori? It's over between us. I've got someone new so why don't you become some else's slut?" 

"He don't deserve you, he's a pathetic man whore!" 

"He's still better than you'll ever be!" 

Standing out by the steps, which lead downward and back to the grand vastness of Ohtori Academy were two figures yelling back and forth at each other with no concern to their volume waking up anyone. Anthy immediately recognized one of the figures to be Midori, only she was wearing a uniform of a dark green jacket cut in a v pattern along the bottom lining, and skirt, with black leggings and dark green low heeled boots. Standing before her was a male with short blond hair, somewhat unkempt to reveal a wild personality of sorts. He wore a similar uniform to the girl only he had a jacket cut straight around the bottom, and it was crimson red. He had crimson boots that came up to his knees, with black pants tucked into them. Midori looked a bit ticked at the male as she advanced forward and forced a kiss upon him, making Anthy curious as to why there be a crash to begin with, for it didn't appear they were fighting anymore. He immediately pushed her away however, causing her to stumble and fall over to land on the ground. The male simply glared down at her as both remained perfectly still. 

"Don't you dare come near me Midori. It's over forever." 

"Why don't you just forget that Riki and actually come back to the one woman who satisfied all you wanted Izumo. You even said that yourself." 

"Maybe back then when I thought there was something more, but you're nothing but a slut who'll do anything to get a guy to pin her down." He looked toward the green haired girl with a set of eyes that were also touched with the color; only the shading was that of emerald. "That's all you wanted from me." 

"That's so funny . . ." A mocking laugh emerged from Midori, causing her to lose her balance on the ground and falls over onto her side. After a few moments she calmed down and looked back up to Izumo with narrowed eyes and a smile on her face. "If that was all I wanted from you I could have just picked any of the guys who flirt with me." 

"I rest my case . . .you just proved you really are a whore." 

Turning on the hell of his show, Izumo closed his eyes and began his descent down the stairs and back toward the heart of Ohtori Academy. Midori gasped and quickly scrambled to her feet, running toward the departing male and lashed outward toward him. His arm was immediately grasped, causing him to stop and release an angry growl. Narrowed and annoyed eyes were seen on his face upon the turn of his head, but it didn't seem to affect the green haired female. 

"Let me go Midori, it's over." 

"No! Please don't end it!" Tears escaped her eyes, for it was tearing her up to realize that he was indeed leaving her, not for another girl but in reality, for a man. She dropped down to her knees and began sobbing into the arm, which she still managed to maintain a grip on. "Please don't go . . .if you want me to change then I will do it! I'll cut my hair! I'll become a more polite person! I'll even stop sleeping around, JUST TAKE ME BACK PLEASE!" 

"You don't get it . . .and you never will understand, Ezura-san." 

A gasp immediately escaped her mouth upon the name suddenly thrown upon her by the love of her life. Midori could feel Izumo tugging at his arm, finally managing to pull it free and causing her to fall forward. Catching herself with her hands and continuing to allow her tears to fall onto the concrete, she sobbed loudly to reveal her broken heart. Izumo seemed to not be phased by her emotions whatsoever, which seemed proven by his move to continue down the steps and away from the Kiryuu residence. 

"For someone who's the captain of the debate team, you didn't debate your case enough to make me stay . . ." he said, before disappearing completely. 

Crickets and sounds of toads and frogs croaking were faintly yet could still be heard against the silent backdrop of the cloudy skies. Still huddling upon the steps, yet unable to cry any longer, Midori found herself leaning backwards to sit herself down. Pulling her knees closer to her body, she seemed to resemble a large balled up creature, her chin resting on her knees to stare at the vastness of Ohtori Academy. Her eyes glazed over, as if it were matching her fading anger within her mind. She could still hear everything around her despite all she was thinking about in regard to the situation, so it was no surprise she heard a voice begin to speak. 

"Are you okay, Ezura-san?" It was clear the voice was Anthy. She proceeded to sit down beside the green haired debate captain on the steps. "It sounds like it was pretty intense out here." 

"How the hell would you know? You're just an ex-rose bride . . .why the hell are you in all of this anyway? Why the hell do you care about my well being when I'm an obstacle toward you gaining the Revolution, not that you'll get it." 

"What is the big deal about the Revolution? It's much more dangerous than you think, to both the duelist and the rose bride! Everyone who gets involved in this stupid game-" 

"SHUT UP HIMEMIYA!" 

A hand suddenly lashed out and struck Anthy's face hard, causing her to fall over onto her side and release a cry of pain. Her own hand brought itself up to hold the stricken skin, and her emerald eyes darted up as Midori rose to her feet. Her fists were clenched and her teeth were gritting within her mouth. Pure anger could be seen within her stance and face, making the violet haired duelist just a little nervous. The light suddenly reflected something on her left hand, showing to Anthy that Midori was indeed telling the truth about being a duelist. There was a ring, and engraved on it was the Blue Rose. 

"You know nothing. You are just a newborn chick with no sense of the world." 

"The duels are dangerous Ezura-san! You're only going to get yourself killed if you keep going!" 

"You're just saying that so I'll quit the duels and let you gain Revolution! I know you've got no skills in the arena because Yamato is merely a child when it comes to his own ability to duel. He has no skill, which makes me wonder how he was able to beat the previous champion!" 

"Ezura-san, open your eyes! The duels aren't what they seem!" 

"No! They're more important to me than you realize! I need to duel to gain Revolution so I can be with Izumo again! Riki clouded his mind, turned him against me. The Revolution will make Izumo see just what a creep he really is! And to do that I need to win." 

Tossing a green rose down at her, Anthy gasped at the realization of what it signified. Midori's eyes narrowed at the girl below her, and she immediately stepped forward and crushed the rose petals with her boot. She twisted the foot back and forth in order to crush and tear at the rose more and more until it was mere pieces of silky green material of sorts. Anthy wondered just what could cause a duelist to possess so much rage, let alone the new set that she knew she would have to fight through it seemed. 

"Consider this a challenge Himemiya. We're going to duel tomorrow night in the underground arena. And don't expect to defeat me; I am far better than that bastard, Yamato. You'll get a real duel tomorrow." 

She turned on the heel of her boot and began walking up and back toward the grand mansion, leaving Anthy to lie upon the steps and simply watch the ruthless Midori disappear back into the building. Looking back to the rose petals, she wondered if it was meant to be some kind of self made prediction on her account to Anthy's own fate at the now appointed duel the next evening. Suddenly a shadow fell over her, causing her to lift her head and look up. She saw Varari, wearing a pair of pajama's and cat slippers. She proceeded to sit down beside the violet haired duelist and smile warmly. 

"Looks like you found out what I was talking about." 

"Is Midori always that ruthless?" 

"Only when she found out she was being dumped for a man. Wouldn't you be upset if you found out the love of your life was leaving you?" 

"I would if I had one . . ." 

"Yeah. But you know what, Lady Anthy?" 

"What?" 

Standing up from the steps, Varari simply smiled and reached out her own hand to pull Anthy up onto her own feet. The two then smiled and turned back to the mansion, and after seeing Midori was long gone back into its walls; the two girls began their way back toward it too. Varari crossed her arms behind her back and released a content sigh before turning back to the violet haired duelist with a smile. 

"You need to rest up. You've officially got your first duel as champion to worry about." 

_To Be Continued . . ._

Sure Midori you want Izumo to have eyes only for you, so why use Revolution to make him see only you? And what's wrong with him dating Riki? There's always some odd relationship in Utena, and this was all I could come up with to make it seem more Utena-ish. Oh my god though. I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long; I just had such a huge writer's block for this story that it wasn't funny. So until the next episode, guess you'll have to wait and see how Midori and Anthy do in their match up. See ya next time! 


End file.
